Hakka Walled Houses in Southern Jiangxi

Hakka Walled Houses in Southern Jiangxi

The Hakka walled houses in southern Jiangxi form a unique cultural landscape of Hakka residential architecture. According to research by Wan Younan: as the name suggests, a walled house is an enclosed dwelling. Its outer walls serve both as load-bearing structures and as defensive fortifications for the entire complex. The lintels above the main gates often bear names such as "Pan’an Walled House," "Yan’yi Walled House," and "Longguang Walled House." The Hakka walled houses in southern Jiangxi originated in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, with over 500 still in existence, mainly distributed in Longnan, Dingnan, Quannan, as well as Xinfeng, Anyuan, and Xunwu. The larger ones cover an area of over ten thousand square meters, with the largest, the Likeng Walled House in Longnan, spanning as much as 37,000 square meters, while the smaller ones may be only fifty or sixty square meters. In terms of layout, they can be divided into two main types: "square" and "national" character formations. Most are square-shaped, though some are circular, semi-circular, or irregular in shape. Structurally, they are built using a mix of lime-soil and river pebbles, as well as blue bricks and strip stones. Among the most representative surviving walled houses are the Xinwei Walled House in Guanxi, Longnan; the Yan’yi Walled House in Yangcun; the Longguang Walled House in Taojiang; the Dongsheng Walled House in Zhengan, Anyuan; and the Tianxin Walled House in Egong, Dingnan.

The Hakka walled houses in southern Jiangxi are ancient fortified dwellings that integrate ancestral halls, family residences, and fortresses, characterized by distinct defensive features. The outer walls of these walled houses are one meter thick (the Yan’yi Walled House’s walls are 1.45 meters thick), typically three to four stories high, with bastions protruding outward and upward at the four corners. To eliminate blind spots, some bastions feature additional small, cantilevered watchtowers. The upper levels of the walled houses are equipped with rows of gunports and cannon holes. The gate walls are especially thick, with gate frames made from massive stones, and the solid wooden doors are further reinforced with iron plating. Behind the wooden doors, there are often additional bolt doors, and behind those, secondary doors. The tops of the gates are also designed with loopholes to prevent fire attacks. Except for a few larger walled houses, most have only one entrance gate. The upper levels of the walled houses are mostly reserved for wartime use, and about two-thirds of the inner wall surface is designed as a circular corridor that runs through the entire structure, facilitating movement during emergencies. Wells are dug inside the walled houses, and many include storage rooms for food and fodder. Some even used bracken or mixed glutinous rice flour, brown sugar, and egg whites to plaster the walls, which could be peeled off and eaten in times of prolonged siege and food shortage.

The vast majority of Hakka walled houses in southern Jiangxi are square-shaped, with sturdy watchtowers constructed at the four corners (and occasionally at just two symmetrical corners). The outer walls are solid, enclosed structures covered with gunports. Their appearance is stern and imposing, as impenetrable as a fortress. Clearly, their design bears a striking resemblance to the "fortified dwellings" found in Guangzhou tomb pottery figurines and the "Gate Tower of General Sun" unearthed in Ezhou from the Eastern Wu period.

Ranging from small "cat-cabinet" walled houses with only three bays on one side to massive ones like the "Xinwei Walled House" in Guanxi, covering over 11 acres, all Hakka walled houses share robust defensive capabilities and the communal warmth of clan living. Square-shaped walled houses usually consist of simple structures, typically two or three stories high, though some reach up to four stories, featuring cantilevered outer corridors. Larger walled houses often include ancestral halls inside; the biggest ones are multi-layered, nested fortresses. The outer walls are built from sturdy materials such as river stones, granite, bluestone, and blue bricks, with thicknesses reaching up to two meters. Inside, facilities such as grain storage, wells, and drainage systems are all available. These easily defended, hard-to-attack walled towers are practically independent kingdoms—miniature cities unto themselves.